Tikehau Co-Founder Mathieu Chabran joins Joe Cass to talk fighting Wall Street giants in his 20's, remortgaging his house to save the business, a surprising change in European finance - and his playbook for leading a $60 billion empire.

00:00 Betting everything on Tikehau

03:29 The Pope in Paris story

04:48 Mathieu taking a second mortgage to save the business

07:34 Copying the success of Blackstone

09:53 Is Europe in decline?

12:28 The personal cost of building Tikehau

14:41 Michael Milken & famous Drexal alumni

17:14 The surprising change in European finance

22:29 Is Matthieu worried about private credit?

28:23 Number 1 investment priority

29:56 How much of investing is gut feeling?

32:07 Tikehau in 2046

Follow Joe on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/josephcass/

Brookfield Asset Management CEO Connor Teskey joins Joe Cass to talk about becoming the youngest CEO in the firms history, a letter that changed his life forever, the role of gut feeling in investing - and his playbook for leading a $1 Trillion empire.

00:00 Becoming CEO at 38-years-old

02:17 The letter that changed Connor's life

05:07 Connor telling his wife he got the job

08:00 How much of investing is gut feeling?

09:34 Being the youngest CEO in the room

13:32 The biggest misconceptions about AI

17:50 Are we building too fast in AI

21:00 Will AI create mass wealth or mass unemployment?

23:18 The role of credit ratings in private markets

26:14 Brookfield in 2036 Follow

Joe on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/josephcass/

Churchill Asset Management's Ken Kencel joins Joe Cass to talk about the culture and legacy of his old firm Drexel Burnham Lambert, presenting to Michael Milken, starting multiple successful financial businesses and his secret to building strategic, long-term relationships.

00:00 Drexel Burnham Lambert in the 1980's

05:41 The culture and legacy of Drexel

08:23 Presenting to Michael Milken

09:48 Starting Churchill before the financial crisis

13:22 Selling to The Carlyle Group

16:32 Calling up David Rubenstein

18:26 Building a $100Bn AUM business from scratch

28:01 Ken's childhood and being raised by his Uncle

35:57 Ken's secret to building strategic, long-term relationships

Follow Joe on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/josephcass/

BlackRock's Global Chief Investment Strategist Wei Li joins Joe Cass to talk about whether the AI boom is a bubble, why she thinks we're still in the early build-out phase, and how a wider-than-ever range of outcomes is reshaping portfolios. 00:00 Is there an AI bubble? 05:08 Day in the life of Wei Li 06:14 How to stand out in an AI world 08:08 Blackrock's internal AI platforms 10:02 Wei's most important datapoint 11:18 Wei's contrarian investment belief 12:31 What is it really like working at Blackrock? 13:37 Inside Blackrock's Investment Committee 14:45 Biggest misconceptions about Blackrock 18:29 Public to Private Markets power shift 21:14 How Wei communicates 23:28 The importance of an S&P rating 24:40 How to be disciplined in a whipsaw market? 26:38 The rise (and fall?) or US market dominance 28:55 Wei's advice to young professionals Follow Joe on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/josephcass/

In this episode, Joseph speaks with Mark Haefele, Chief Investment Officer at UBS, about what truly separates lasting wealth from wealth that gets eroded, across investing, family dynamics, and generational planning. They explore why inheritance planning can be the hardest financial puzzle wealthy families face, how billionaires think about keeping families aligned, and what happens when emotions, identity, and "behavioral noise" run the portfolio instead of a clear plan.

Chapters:

0:00 The biggest mistake wealthy investors make

1:37 What are the world's wealthiest people most worried about right now?

2:44 Personal habits of billionaire families

4:24 What asset class are wealthy families increasing exposure to?

5:03 The 'Godfather' approach to inheritance

7:21 Succession TV show in real life

9:08 Why do some families retain wealth, and others lose it all?

10:28 The billionaire asset allocation template

12:06 What long term risk are markets underpricing?

13:11 An unstable decade for investors

14:08 UHNWI's view of private markets

16:40 Investing sophistication of UHNWI's

18:10 UHNWI appetite for private credit

19:15 Preferred asset classes of the wealthiest people in the world

20:12 The importance of credit ratings

21:09 Has working with billionaires changed Mark?

22:15 Mark's #1 tip for young people to build wealth today

This episode features Blair Jacobson, Co-President of Ares Management Corporation, discussing private credit investment strategies, risk management, and firm growth. He shares insights on how Ares maintains a conservative approach to avoid losses, the importance of relationships and reputation in deal origination, and the firm's expanding areas like asset-backed credit and wealth management. Blair also touches on the evolving role of credit ratings in private markets, the firm's involvement in sports investments, and offers advice for young professionals entering finance amidst technological disruption.

Chapters:

00:00 What could go wrong in private credit

1:34 How prepared is Ares for a downturn

6:55 Football & sports investment – Chelsea & Athletico Madrid

10:17 Finding sports investment opportunities

10:58 How does Ares find new business

14:57 Finding lucrative deals

16:07 Private credit ratings

18:56 Big insurers moving into private credit

20:13 Building a career in the AI era

22:13 "Relationship training"

24:00 Why is Ares Co-Founder Michael Arougheti so successful

Recording date: 18 February 2026.

Joe Cass sits down with Kunal Shah, Co-CEO of Goldman Sachs International & Global Co-Head of FICC, to unpack the surprising story behind becoming one of the firm's youngest-ever Managing Directors at 27—and what that experience taught him about performance, mentorship, and taking the right risks at the right time.

Timestamps:

00:00 – 5:08 Becoming the youngest ever MD at Goldman Sachs

5:08 – 7:06 Day in the life of a Co-CEO

7:06 – 9:48 Goldman Sachs client concerns on AI

9:48 – 10:25 Goldman Sachs internal AI platform

10:25 – 12:51 How to build successful relationships

12:51 – 16:00 How does Goldman Sachs use credit ratings?

16:00 – 17:45 Day in the life on an EM trading desk at Goldman Sachs

17:45 = 19:37 Phycological impact of financial trading

19:37 – 21:33 Teaching new traders at Goldman Sachs

21:33 – 22:23 Hedge funds looking at Drama graduates

22:23 – 24:07 What do people assume about working at Goldman Sachs that isn't true?

24:07 – 26:13 What is EMPower?

26:13 – 27:19 Kunal's view of Industry TV series and Wall Street movies

27:19 Kunal's alternative career path

Join Joe Cass as he interviews Andrew Balls, PIMCO's CIO for Global Fixed Income, to explore the intricacies of decision-making in finance, particularly under psychological pressure. In this insightful discussion, Andrew shares his strategies for managing stress while making high-stakes decisions that can impact billions of dollars.

Whether you're a finance professional or simply interested in the dynamics of investment management, this conversation offers valuable insights into the future of finance and the evolving landscape of investment strategies.

Chapters:
00:43 – 3:13 The Psychology of Managing Billions of Dollars
3:13 – 5:11 Public Bond Issuance Predictions
5:11 – 11:49 AI/Datacentre Predictions
11:49 – 16:43 The Meta Datacentre Transaction
16:43 – 19:58 How Are PIMCO Using AI To Invest?
19:58 – 23:26 PIMCO's Clients & Their Priorities
23:26 – 25:33 Why Didn't Andrew Choose Politics?
25:33 – 27:30 Andrew's Move From The FT to PIMCO
27:30 – 29:46 Transitioning To Portfolio Management
29:46 – 33:25 Andrew on Mohamed El-Erian & Bill Gross
33:25 – Close Watching Football & Playing The Drums